September 1st is the first day that juniors can be officially offered. With much of Michigan’s 2009 class already committed, we can start looking forward to the 2010 recruiting year. Let’s take a look at some potential prospects for the Wolverines.

QB:
With two one already committed for 2009, Rodriguez would probably like to take one dual-threat player in this class, though he can hold out for a top-flight one. Devin Gardner (Inkster, reports an offer) and Robert Bolden (OLSM) are a couple of true dual-threat types who are a little closer to home. Florida’s Stephen Morris (Miami Pace) camped at Michigan in 2010, where he was impressive. Jake Heaps (Skyline HS in Washington) will likely end up the top player in the class of 2010, and is more of an athletic passer than an athlete who happens to chuck the ball.

RB:
Michigan could use 1 or 2 RBs in this class. Spencer Ware from Cincinnati may be the best athlete in the class of 2010, and he is capable of playing QB or RB at the next level. Lache Seastrunk from Texas is a speedster, but will likely end up in Austin or Baton Rouge. Keeshawn Maxwell from Auburndale in Florida is another potential target. Austin White from Livonia Stevenson is close to home and a darn good player as well. Nick Hill from Chelsea is a less highly-regarded prospect.

WR:
Michigan is taking several thousand slots in the past couple classes, so one should be plenty in 2010. An outside receiver (or maybe two) will be signed as well. Jeremy Jackson from Huron High (son of Michigan RB coach Fred Jackson) is likely a top target, but he is also interested in several southern schools. Along with Jackson, Florida’s Chris Dunkley has reportedly been offered. Dennis Hall from Pahokee (FL) is a former teammate of Martavious Odoms, and could be a slot-dot type. Alvin Hall from Trotwood-Madison could be an outside target as well.

TE:
Ricardo Miller is a prospect from Orlando who could end up at WR or TE – and he is liking the Wolverines early in the process. After likely taking a year off from TE recruiting in 2009, Michigan will probably hop back on board with an athletic jumbo-receiver. CJ Fiedorowicz from Johnsburg, IL is one heck of an athletic TE prospect, and he has great size too, at 6-6+. Greg Gainey from Trotwood-Madison could be a target as well.

OL:
Michigan has gotten a few solid OL prospects so far, but no top-flight guys. That could be fixed in 2010 if they land a player like Seantrel Henderson from Minnesota (Cretin-Derham Hall). Matt James from Cincinnati could be a top target as well. Illinois’s Christian Lombard could end up as the second highest rated OT in the class (behind Henderson) and he likes the Wolverines early, camping in summer ’08. Shawn Kamm from Saginaw Nouvel could be a sleeper choice as well.

DT:
Michigan has gotten a couple of DTs committed in this class (including one great one in Campbell), but they could use good one in the next class. Doral Willis from Pahokee will be among the top DTs in 2010, and Michigan is well on its way to establishing a pipeline to the muck. Jordan Sanders from Rochester Adams (MI) is a little bit closer to home, though not as highly-regarded.

DE:
Michigan needs a top-flight DE in this class, as 2009 looks to give them some good but not great players. Fortunately, William Gholston is right in their backyard, at Detroit Southeastern (he may also be a TE or OT prospect). However, his cousin was a standout at Ohio State, and they might be the early favorite. Keevon Newsome is the younger brother of former QB commit Kevin Newsome, and is a highly-sought after DE. Chance Carter from Illinois and Jamel Turner out of Ohio are also good prospects. Turner is likely Ohio’s top 2010 prospect.

LB:
Though the class of 2008 was loaded with LBs, 2009 isn’t the same story. One or two is probably needed in 2010. Jewone Snow out of Canton McKinley (OH) is the son of former Michigan great Garland Rivers. Matt Rea from Pontiac Notre Dame Prep is another potential target. Pennsylvania’s Mike Hull will probably be the nation’s top 2010 LB, but it is unclear whether Michigan has a real shot with him.

S:
Michigan fans would love a top-flight safety. Marvin Robinson from Lake Region (FL) likes Michigan a lot early in the process, and will likely be among the tops at his position. James Manuel from Warren Central (IN) is another pretty good prospect, and Michigan has been able to grab prospects from that school in the past. Kevonte Martin from Birmingham Brother Rice is a good prospect on the gridiron, but may be a college hoops player.

CB:
A good-to-great corner is always a need, particularly for Michigan’s class of 2010, however, as Donovan Warren may be a three-and-done player. Nickell Robey from Frostproof (FL) seems like the best CB in the class of 2010. Cass Tech’s Dior Mathis is diminutive but fast as hell. Unfortunately, he may end up a Miami Hurricane. Lorenza Wood from Apopka (FL) is a high school teammate of 2009 commit Jeremy Gallon.

Of course, all these players are only potential targets, and it is unlikely Michigan will land all of them (or even most of them). Other prospects will emerge on the radar, and some of these guys will certainly fall off of it. However, these guys might be a good group to keep an eye on early in the recruiting cycle.

Posted under Recruiting

Programming Note: Yesterday’s podcast should be fully operational now. Check it out here.

We’re halfway through the recruiting year, and Michigan’s class is already starting to shape up. Let’s take a look at needs filled and remaining, and who is left on the board. This should be used in tandem with the eligibility chart, which reveals how many scholarships Michigan is likely to be able to give out (about 18-20).

Quarterbacks
Need – 2
Commits – 1
After the decommitment of Kevin Newsome, Michigan has need for one additional quarterback to Shavodrick Beaver. Beaver is a tall athlete who is a raw QB prospect with high upside.
Prospects
Michigan needs one more, and a recommitment from Newsome, or a pledge from Tate Foricer or Eugene Smith seem to be the most likely scenarios.

Running Backs
Need – 2-3
Commits – 2
Fitzgerald Toussaint and Teric Jones are speedsters, and Jones was a star at the Army All-american combine last year. Toussaint is a shifty little dude. Both of the current commits are likely to be mixed RB/slot types.
Prospects
Floridian Vincent Smith is announcing his college decision on August 30th, and all signs point to a Michigan hat being pulled out of the bag. If it does indeed come to fruition, Michigan would likely be done recruiting at this position unless a superstar wanted to commit to Michigan as well. Smith has mentioned a desire to enroll early at the school of his choosing.

Wide Receivers
Need – 2-3
Commits – 2
Bryce McNeal is a big, fast gamebreaker on the outside. His highlight tape is very impressive (taking into account the important caveat that almost all highlight tapes are, indeed, impressive). He can go vertical, and has a lot of ability after the catch. Jeremy Gallon is a little guy who is a wishbone QB in high school. He has a ton of speed and moves, and will likely fit in the slot at Michigan.
Prospects
Michigan doesn’t really need another wideout, but if someone the caliber of Shaquelle Evans or Rueben Randle wanted to commit to Michigan, they would make room for him.

Tight Ends
Need – 0-1
Commits – 0
Prospects
Dion Sims from OLSM is a TE prospect, but I think if he committed to Michigan it is likely that he would move to defensive end. Same goes for any other TE commit. This isn’t a position of need at all, since there are several TEs already on the roster, and only one graduating after this season.

Offensive Line
Need – 2-3
Commits – 1
Michael Schofield is a good inside-outside prospect who will probably end up at tackle in Ann Arbor. He has played tight end as well, and shows off his athleticism by running hurdles.
Prospects
Travis Bond has mentioned that he’d like to take an official to UM, and a few other guys like Brennan Williams have expressed strong interest. Michigan would like to get at least one more O-lineman, but if they don’t, it won’t be the end of the world, since none are leaving the team after this year.

Defensive Tackle
Need – 2
Commits – 2
William Campbell is a game-breaking DT, and has a lot of potential. He is explosive and strong. DeQuinta Jones plays DE in high school, but has been putting on enough weight to shift inside in college.

Defensive End
Need – 2-3
Commits – 0
Prospects
Craig Roh is a good-looking strongside defensive end who seems to be genuinely interested in spending the next four years in Ann Arbor. Michigan also needs a speed rusher off the edge, and someone like Keenan Graham could go a long way toward assuaging the fears of Wolverines fans. Someone like Craig Drummond is a possibility as well, but it sounds like he might have trouble qualifying.

Linebacker
Need – 1-3
Commits – 1
Jordan Barnes is currently Michigan’s only true linebacker commit (they have a couple safeties who may move down), and I even think he would look pretty good on offense as a MAX back. However, he is a linebacker for now, and he has athleticism at the position, if not polish.
Prospects
Vincent Smith’s teammate Brandin Hawthorne is also deciding on August 30th, and there is a similar confidence that he will pick Michigan. Beyond that, Michigan would likely hold out for a top-rated (on their board, if not the recruiting sites) linebacker.

Safety
Need – 1-2
Commits – 2
Mike Jones might be a candidate to move to linebacker, and there is a similar sentiment about Isaiah Bell. However, I think that the new system doesn’t emphasize adding bulk, and at least one of them will stay at safety. Bell has the athleticism to also return punts on a team that features Fitzgerald Toussaint, and Jones is used frequently as a blitzer in high school.
Prospects
There are a couple guys left on Michigan’s radar if they decide that one of the current commits would be better served to move down to linebacker. No top prospects are left on the board, but there are some solid lesser-ranked guys.

Corner
Need – 1-3
Commits – 2
Justin Turner is a big, physical corner. though many think he might move to safety, he could be very successful on the boundary in Shafer’s cover-2 schemes. DeWayne Peace is a high school WR/DB who seems to be primed for a full-time move to defense at the next level. He has very quick feet, if not top end speed.
Prospects
Darius Winston and Dre Kirkpatrick are both nominally open to Michigan, though Winston seems primed to pick either Arkansas or Ole Miss on September 5, and Kirkpatrick is thought to be all but delivered to Nick Saban and Alabama. If neither of these guys ends up a Wolverine, there are a couple other prospects, such as Florida’s Mywan Jackson, that could end up in blue.

Kicker
Need – 1
Commits – 1
Anothony Fera, who has a huge leg and the nation’s #2 ranking at the position, is Michigan kicker for the class of 2009.

Analysis
Following the commitments of Smith and Hawthorne (either to Michigan or elsewhere), I expect Michigan to slow down on the recruiting front, and not pick up any lesser-rated players for a while. If a five-star wants to commit, so be it, but they won’t heavily pursue 2-star prospects. After the season, they’ll kick back into high gear, and grab top commits and lesser-rated guys alike as the top players are pulled off the board. xpect an exciting finish in January.

This does tell me o
ne thing: The Michigan coaches, whether they want to admit it or not, are probably pretty confident about how the team will be this season. A successful 2008 might show top recruits that Michigan isn’t as down as people think, and the strategy of holding out for top guys until after the season shows they think they’ll be able to grab those top prospects.

Posted under Recruiting

A midyear recruiting prospectus is on tap for this afternoon. For now, enjoy the recruiting update. Board can be found here, as always.

New Information:
MN WR Commit Bryce McNeal. On the news.
SC DE Sam Montgomery. He has narrowed his list, and will reveal top choices soon.
NV DE Keenan Graham. UCLA leads (info in header).
SC DE Chris Bonds. Article from The State about his past injuries.
AR CB Darius Winston. Sam Webb fluff from the Detroit News.
FL CB/QB Mywan Jackson. Apparently Michigan will give him a shot at QB, and he expects to narrow by one school this week.
GA LB Devekeyan Lattimore. Video fluff:

Removed:
SC S DJ Swearinger. Tennessee commit.

Etc.:
Don’t forget, Brandin Hawthorne and Vincent Smith are announcing on Saturday. Don’t be surprised if they both don Block-M caps.

Analysis:
Keep in mind, this is the first week that the recruiting update comes before some official visits. On the docket for this weekend: CA QB Tate Forcier and AZ DE Craig Roh.

Posted under Recruiting

A weekly look at Michigan commits’ performances in their high school games.

TX QB Shavodrick Beaver No game, but 2 TDs accounted for in a scrimmage.
OH RB Fitzgerald Toussaint W 55-21 19 Carries, 115 Yds. Also his dad did not stab a guy.
MI RB Teric Jones No game
MN WR Bryce McNeal No game
FL Slot Jeremy Gallon No game
IL OL Michael Schofield No game
MI DT William Campbell No game
LA DT DeQuinta Jones No game
IN LB Jordan Barnes W 55-21 No stats given
FL S Mike Jones No game
OH S Isaiah Bell No stats given (played RB on offense)
OH CB Justin Turner W 45-29 22 Carries, 140 Yds
TX CB DeWayne Peace No Game

Posted under Recruiting

Action since last rankings:
8-18-08 Michigan gains commitment from Anthony Fera.
8-20-08 Michigan loses commitment from Kevin Newsome.
8-21-08 Northwestern gains commitment from Tim Riley.
Since there wasn’t a ton going on this week, I’ll give a little commentary on how good each of the classes is, and the size of gaps between them.

New Rankings:

Solid class by the Bucks, but they aren’t likely to challenge for the mythical recruiting national champion in February.

There is a pretty big dropoff between Michigan and OSU, especially after one of the top commits in the class is there no longer. However, Michigan has filled needs with the types of players that are god in its specific system, if not highly ranked.

The gap between Michigan and Notre Dame isn’t quite as large as that between Ohio State and Michigan, but it is a fairly sizable one. The Irish have gotten a couple of big-time commits, however.

MSU is virtually tied with Notre Dame, though their class has less upside. They aren’t likely to challenge for any more 5-star recruits either, so unless Michigan and Notre Dame lose a lot of players form their classes, this is the peak position for the Spartans.

Penn State is nearly in a tie with Michigan State, but I rank them lower because they have tons of 3-stars and few exciting prospects.

Illinois has a very strong base for their class, and Ron Zook can be expected to continue to recruit well.

There is a pretty sizable gap between Illinois and Wisconsin. They are filling needs, and I always give offensive linemen committed to the Badgers an extra mental half-star.

< /tr>

There is a cavernous, gaping hole between Wisconsin and Minnesota, even though just a look at the number of commits and stars wouldn’t seem to indicate that. Is Brewster’s recruiting mojo wearing off?

Indiana is implementing a new strategy of trying to fill their class early (which may be an overall trend in recruiting nationally). It’s working well for them so far, as they appear to be fielding their best class in years.

Cavernous, gaping hole between IU and UI. Iowa lost their best commit to MSU, but made up for it by landing the state’s top player. Ferentz is probably toast, though.

Northwestern has been built on sleepers, and they will continue to do so. However, just because a player isn’t
highly rated doesn’t make him a sleeper. Some guys just aren’t any good.

Purdue has easily the worst class in the Big Ten so far.

Posted under Recruiting

Huge update this week. There is actually more that will have to wait to Monday because this update is so JAM-PACKED. Anyway, here’s the board.

Moved to Committed:
TX K Anthony Fera.

Added:
A kicker category to the board. Thanks, Fera, ya jerk. Maybe in the light of more recent developments, I shouldn’t be calling anyone committed to Michigan a jerk.

Moved from Committed:
VA QB Kevin Newsome.

New Information:
CA QB Tate Forcier. August 30th visit (info in header).
GA WR Braxton Lane. Skipping football this fall to focus on baseball. Sounds unlikely he’ll hit the gridiron in college.
NC OL Travis Bond. His official visit is set for October 25.
VA DE Will Hill. Fluff.
SC DE Chris Bonds. Michigan and Notre Dame won’t move into his highest group until after he has a chance to see campus. They are still in his top 5.
OH DE Tank Carradine. Does he have an offer? He’s been working on his grades.
FL LB Brandin Hawthorne has set up 5 official visits, despite planning a decision before any of them. If Michigan is his choice on August 30, expect him to either forget about the other visits or not be given all the priviledges (i.e. having a spot saved for you) of a true commit.
OK CB Gabe Lynn. His friend (and former UM target) David Gordon is trying to lure him to Arkansas. Lynn’s junior highlights.

Removed:
PA WR Todd Thomas. He may have trouble qualifying. That may explain why Michigan never really seemed interested, despite his early love for the Wolverines.

Etc.:
MN WR commit Bryce McNeal is a speed prospect, but is currently too skinny to be considered speed and size. Paging Mike Barwis, who will have McNeal built like an All-American in no time flat.
TX QB commit Shavodrick Beaver welcomes competition. I was so much more into this article when there was someone in the class for him to compete with.

Analysis:
Recruiting changes from the developing Newsome situation outlined here. On the defensive end front, Michigan still really needs people. Though Tank Carradine is now reporting an offer, his recruitment remains under the radar, likely because of qualifying issues of his own.

Posted under Recruiting

So, Kevin Newsome appears to be out. Aside from losing a highly-rated player from the class of 2009, how will this affect the Michigan Wolverines?
At quarterback, Michigan is now in search of a replacement for one of its best players in the class. Thankfully, the coaches seemed to have some idea that this decommitment was possible, and even likely, as they continued pursuing a pair of highly-touted passers as contingency plans. While neither Tate Forcier nor Eugene Smith has the high upside that Newsome does, Forcier might actually be ready to play sooner, having had a private quarterback coach for a number of years. Despite Michigan’s class being seemingly full, Forcier consistently named the Wolverines among his top choices. Now that there is an opening, will Forcier jump at the opportunity, or be insulted that he was a backup plan? We might see shortly after Forcier’s recently-confirmed August 30th official visit to Michigan (for the Utah game).

Speaking of Forcier being a backup plan, this may be a slight misrepresentation of the facts. Of course, Kevin Newsome was Michigan’s #1 quarterback target. However, after Newsome’s commitment, Forcier and Shavodrick Beaver seemed to each know that the first to commit to Michigan would be the second signal-caller in the class. When Beaver was ready first, two players who were tied for #2 suddenly changed from an even race to a bird-in-hand/bird-in-bush comparison, where Beaver was given the benefit of the doubt over Forcier. So, while neither was the number one quarterback, both were in Michigan’s top 3 (of course, after Russel Shepard became unavailable) from the get-go.

What else does this mean for Michigan? While Newsome had good relationships with some of Michigan’s other commits, namely Bryce McNeal, these relationships clearly weren’t strong enough to convince Newsome to stick with Michigan, so I would be surprised if they were strong enough to convince anyone else to jump ship. McNeal also has a strong relationship with seemingly rock-solid Shavodrick Beaver, . If anything, his relationship with Newsome might help pull Kevin back into the fold (though I think this is unlikely either way).

Overall, the Michigan recruiting class will depend heavily on whether the team has success on the field in 2008. If it is an ugly year on the field, a few guys may look elsewhere, and the class could go downhill. however, losing one recruit in August (while there is still time to recover) does not a disaster make.

Editor’s note: I’m not sure if the childhood picture is of Tate or Chris, but the point remains that the Forciers love Michigan.

Posted under Recruiting

Kevin Newsome has decommitted from Michigan as per Scout (info in header). While this doesn’t necessarily mean that Newsome will go elsewhere, it is obviously not a good sign. Luckily for Michigan, even if Newsome does decide to go elsewhere there are two other high caliber guys (Tate Forcier and Eugene Smith) who are still interested and available.

More info later.

Non-Informative Update:
For those of you sad about Newsome, hopefully this helps:

Via Hoover Street Rag (who vias others).

Posted under Recruiting

Texas kicker Anthony Fera has given his word to become a Michigan Wolverine. The 6-2, 215-lber from Houston (St. Pius X) becomes the 15th commit in the class of 2009.

Player Notes
Fera took a Michigan visit over the summer, though he missed Michigan’s kicking camp, hosted by former UM kicker Brandon Kornblue. During his performance at the regular Michigan camp, however, Michigan fans were unnerved by reports that his leg was strong but not accurate. However, that is something that Michigan’s coaches were not overly concerned about, or that their special teams coaches will have to concentrate on fixing. He is rated by Chris Sailer Kicking as the #2 overall kicker in the class of 2009, and the #1 kicker left uncommitted. He has a strong, (maybe) accurate leg, and could see time kicking or punting in the future.

Recruiting Notes
Though Fera was unable to attend Michigan’s kicking camp, the individual focus on him may have paid off in the long run. While the rumored inaccuracies in his kicking likely delayed the tendering of a scholarship offer, they did not prevent him from receiving one. Ohio State and Penn State were the primary competition for Fera, though each was unwilling to offer him a scholarship for the class of 2009. Each was giving a greyshirt offer. However, once Penn State offered a full scholarship, Rich Rodriguez liked what he saw and made a full scholarship offer of his own to Fera, which he accepted almost immediately.

Video
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=he5R6-pKagc&hl=en&fs=1]

Posted under Recruiting

The Board is here. The updates are here:

New Information:
MD OL Brennan Williams. Down to 4 (BC, Mich, Duke, Wake).
FL TE Orson Charles. Knee surgery, will narrow to a top 5 soon.
OH DE Davon Custis. His leader is Boston College.
FL LB Brandin Hawthorne. His final two has changed. Michigan is still in it. Things still look rosy here.
FL S Vlad Emilien. Top 5 of UNC, Wake, tOSU, Mich, UF. He will probably decide in November.
AR CB Darius Winston. He has accelerated his timetable drastically. This is a bad thing for Michigan, but if he picks the Wolverines, then hooray.
FL CB Josh Robinson. Decision on November 30 (USF and UCF seem to lead).
VA CB Javanti Sparrow. Top 6 doesn’t include Michigan, and Kevin Newsome is no longer his teammate. Should he be dropped soon?

Etc.:
A really crappy article that seems to think Winston is a Mich commit. A good sign? Probably not.

Posted under Recruiting